


When Moonlight Calls

by multiversequeen8



Category: Songs of War (Cartoon)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-12 15:14:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28512492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/multiversequeen8/pseuds/multiversequeen8
Summary: When Igneous is bitten by a strange monster, he finds that things can always get worse.Now he must search for a cure.
Kudos: 2





	2. Chapter Two

His head ached something awful.

At first, he tried to ignore it. He had to bring Senn into Biggerton, as they would be better off in a town than out in the woods. In Biggerton, the worse you would find were drunkards and thieves.

Those, however, never bothered Magnorites.

However, Igneous was ill. His head was aching worse than it ever had in his life. Before, his headaches were pinches. Small, insignificant pinches. Like splinters or thorns.

This one felt like someone had punched him in every part of his head. It wasn’t a light punch by any means, no. It was the punch of someone who was so angry, so absolutely enraged, that they could fistfight the sun and win. 

Igneous could barely notice Senn following him as they headed into town. With every step, his head ached and his mind grew weaker. He wanted to collapse onto the ground and vomit up all of his lava. It was awful, debilitating.

He needed to keep going. The feeling would eventually dissipate and he would feel alright again. He just needed to wait it out.

As soon as he made it into Biggerton, he threw himself at a building, leaning his weight against its walls. This provoked a couple startled gasps from people Igneous couldn’t place. His vision had started to blur. 

Throbbing started to ripple through his head. He moaned in pain, shoving his weight more onto the wall, to the point of nearly slipping onto the ground. His stomach started to churn like a bucket thrown at a wall and he nearly vomited out of shock.

“Are you alright?” Senn asked, his voice slightly shaky. He reached out a hand in an attempt to comfort Igneous.

“My head hurts.” Igneous admitted, grimacing as his ears suddenly rang. He tried to melt into the wall more. Senn whimpered slightly and turned around, glancing at the crowd. He shouted something, which made Igneous winced.

“Maybe we should take you to a medic.” Senn said, as he turned back around and grabbed Igneous’ shoulder. Igneous groaned loudly. He managed to turn around and noticed his vision had cleared slightly. However, Senn still looked like a mess of gray and white.

“I’m fine, Senn. Really. Just...Just feeling a bit unwell.” Igneous forced a smile through his jaws. Senn shook his head, frowning so hard his cheeks crinkled. 

“That’s why you need to see a doctor, you’re sick!” He said, grabbing Igneous by the arm. Igneous withdrew his arm, shaking his head and keeping his smile on his face. Senn could see the tension in Igneous’ face and remained determined. His voice was a mix of desperation and determination. He gritted his teeth. “Please, Igneous.” 

“I’m fine, Senn.” Igneous repeated. He blinked and found that it cleared his vision slightly. Blinking rapidly, he soon found the right number of blinks to fix his sight. However, his ears continued to ring, albeit slightly less so. Senn groaned, signalling his defeat.

“I just want to make sure you’re alright…” Senn said, turning around. 

“Well, I am feeling a bit better now.” Igneous said, smiling at Senn cheekily. It was nowhere near a lie, so it was easier for Igneous to present with a smile. Senn sighed and then groaned.

“I think you should at least rest. Come on, I’ll get us a room in an inn.”

=

Senn slept in the inn’s bed. He was all peacefully snuggled in blankets, an amazing example of calmness and bliss. A smile curled his lips to the sky.

However, Igneous was the exact opposite, leaned against the wall, his posture stiffening. His vision had cleared and his ears stopped ringing, but his muscles tensed. It was a fair trade off in his eyes, because he could deal with tense muscles and an aching stomach.

Bored out of his mind, he lapped his tongue at his teeth. Pain rushed through the tip of his tongue, prompting him to flinch.

He blinked in confusion and then lapped around the tooth that pricked his tongue. It was one of his canines, the sharpest teeth in his jaw. All of his teeth were sharp of course, but these were the sharpest.

And now they were sharper? It confused him. He lapped at his other canine and confirmed his suspicions. They were definitely sharper than normal.

_ That’s strange.  _ Igneous thought, rotating his shoulders, as they had started to feel stiff. He kept lapping at his teeth, confirming it again and again. There was no need for such sharp teeth in his eyes, so why were his teeth growing now? Igneous wasn’t alarmed, instead, he was curious.

Suddenly, a funny thought of him with vampire fangs entered his head. He stifled a laugh. Then it seemed interesting, he would be the first Magnorite with teeth that long. It would get him in the history books!

And well, since he didn’t eat in the first place, his teeth wouldn’t be a problem. They would just be weird. Or maybe the worst they’d do is cut his tongue, but he could probably get used to it.

Then he considered that it would make speaking harder. He cringed at the thought of having a permanent lisp. Would his teeth continue growing for the rest of his life? Or would it stay at a set size? If it was set, but too long, he could just trim them, right?

_ It’s easy to fix that. _ Igneous reassured himself. Senn could probably help him resharpen his teeth after the trimming.

Pain suddenly struck his other teeth. Igneous groaned, hunching forwards as it continued to ebb. It then suddenly stopped and he was curiously lapping at his other teeth now. They had sharpened as well! 

Then the pain struck the entirety of his jaw. He gritted his teeth, feeling them grow against each other. His eyes scrunched and a groan ripped through his lips. The feeling refused to recede, prompting him to clutch the sides of his head. Begging quietly, he wished for it to end.

It stopped and Igneous lapped at his mouth again. His teeth had grown again, feeling almost too large for his gums. Igneous grunted, looking over at his sleeping friend.

Then the pain stopped. Igneous gasped for air and then relaxed his body, falling slumped. His eyes drooped and a heavy, happy sigh escaped him as he stared at a wall like an idiot.

Suddenly, in a strange twist of events, energy struck him. He stood up, feeling energetic enough to run across the entirety of Ardonia. He walked in circles, his gait so close to breaking into a run, but the energy refused to wane, instead feeling like it was growing  _ stronger _ .

_ Oh jeez…  _ He thought, pacing faster and panting heavily in a strange sense of panic. Senn awoke, looking over at Igneous. He tilted his head.

“Are you okay?” He asked as he stifled a yawn.

“Just a bit restless, that’s all.” Igneous said, rubbing the back of his head as he contniued to pace.

“You need to rest.” Senn said, rolling over onto his bed.

“No! I need—“ Igneous suddenly stopped as a strange urge sank into his mind.

“Need what?” Senn pulled his blanket away from his body, muscles tensing as he was ready to pounce and drag Igneous into a doctor if he dared admit another symptom.

_ Hunt.  _ Something within him said. His stomach churned oddly, as if it was asking for lava, but different. This time, it hurt. It was like a ravenous beast was tearing at the walls of his belly.

“I-I…” Igneous sputtered, trying to comprehend what was going on. 

_ Hunt.  _ The urge exploded again. Igneous’ knees buckled, forcing him onto the ground.

“Igneous!” Senn shouted, about to pounce now.

_ Hunt. _ It was like a droning thud. The clash of a sword hitting a bell. His head throbbed from the force of his urges.

_ Hunt.  _ Igneous drove himself to his feet. Energy burst at his seams. His thoughts deteriorated, becoming more animal-like.

_ Hunt _ . He ripped the door open and charged outside.

_ Hunt. _ He found himself in the wilderness with very little effort.

_ Hunt.  _ A rabbit. It froze when it saw him charge.

_ Eat eat eat eat eat eat.  _ The words changed and became a chant.  _ Eat eat tear tear rip rip flesh food food food hungry. _

_ More prey. Smell them. _

A deer noticed the beast hunched over a rabbit’s corpse. It didn’t freeze like the rabbit. It knew better.

_ Hungry hungry prey prey prey prey prey. _

Hoofbeats. Rapid.

_ So fast. Hungry… must kill. _

The deer tripped. Fell.

_ Prey prey prey prey prey. _

Fangs met soft flesh.

_ Hungry hungry hungry hungry hungry. _

The deer screamed, kicked. Desperate.

_ Blood. Tasty good. Hungryhungryhungryhungry. _

Footsteps.

_ Prey? _

White markings.

“Igneous?”

_ Pack. _

He growled and continued to feed.

_ Eat. _

“Did you kill this?”

_ Eat. _

“No—Igneous…”

_ EAT! _

“Igneous!”

_ Stomach...pain. _

_ Head...ears...ringing? _

_ Hurts… _

_ Tired. _

He fell.

  
  



	2. Chapter one

The forest was quiet this day. Trees clung together, branches and leaves intersecting. They created a thick roof of green, blinding those beneath them to the sky. The dirt was dry, leading the grass to grow slightly yellowish. It had been a couple weeks since the last rainfall.

Igneous had traveled these woods many times, knew all of the beasts that stalked this biome. He loved it when it was dry, but knew it wouldn’t be too much longer until rain came pelting down. Luckily, he couldn’t smell it today, so they at least had a day to find shelter. 

Senn followed Igneous very closely, a handcrafted sword slung on his back. It glimmered in the occasional rays of light. 

Igneous knew these woods were safe.

Something crunched. Heavy footfalls, the clattering of claws, but it was too big to be a wolf.

_ What is that? _ The two travelers wondered, bringing themselves closer to each other. A growl came from the direction of the snapping branches. 

The sound, it was close to a wolf, but it was not-

Igneous knew these woods were safe. They had to be, he had traveled them many times. The worst that occupied these woods were wolves. 

But wolves were no threat to a Magnorite, even in the largest of packs. 

Igneous looked at Senn. 

Wolves wanted flesh, not rock. Even if a wolf could bite through rock, what purpose would it have to attack him?

The footsteps grew closer. It became more and more obvious that whatever it was, it was most certainly too big to be a wolf. 

“What is that?” The Ardoni croaked, his voice betraying his fear. He looked so close to crumpling onto the ground. 

From the underbrush, two glowing eyes peeked out. Igneous sighed in relief. It was a Magnorite, like him! 

Senn, who was still crumpling low to the ground, beckoned him away from the eyes. Igneous ignored his pleas, walking over to them. Up close, he noticed these eyes were obviously different, but similar to a Magnorite’s. Where a Magnorite’s eyes were usually round, these eyes had yellow slits. 

This thing was not a Magnorite. 

Igneous realized this too late as the beast suddenly jumped from the underbrush, jaws clamping down onto his chest. Senn shrieked, a loud noise that echoed and threw birds from their nests. 

The Magnorite cried out in pain, kicking the beast in its head. It reared back, blood oozing from where its nose presumably was. As Igneous scrambled away, he caught sight of its face.

It was similar to a Magnorite, with glowing eyes and veins of lava. Long, sharpened teeth lined its snouted jaw, and its body was thick and large. Large, intimidating spikes ran down its back and a tail that ended in an arrow tip. Spikes lined its shoulders and horns lined its head, like...A Magnorite. 

It was almost as if a wolf, a Magnorite, and a large cat had been fused into one being.

Roaring, the beast rose to its hind legs, showing it was half as tall as a tall tree. As if it wasn’t already a terrifying beast, it suddenly opened its jaws, spewing fire from its throat. Igneous took this moment to stand onto his own two feet.

He scampered over to Senn, who was frozen. Igneous grabbed Senn by the shoulder and started to pull him away.

The beast roared again. 

Igneous concluded now was a good time to pull Senn away. The two of them ran off, tearing the dry dirt from the ground. Behind them, they could hear the beast run. 

Tears ripped their way from Igneous’ eyes. In his mind, he calculated what his last words would be. 

At least Senn and him would die together. He smiled at the thought of dying with a friend.

“We’re not going to die.” Senn spoke up.

Igneous stopped in his tracks, nearly tearing a large line in the ground. 

“What?”

“The beast--listen. It’s running away.” Senn said, relieved. Igneous looked up and listened closely. The footsteps were slowly growing fainter. He breathed out a heavy sighed.

He looked around and spotted a cave in the distance. When he noticed it, he gasped and pulled Senn near. Senn complained softly and Igneous pointed at the cave. 

“Look, shelter!” Igneous said excitedly.

The two of them headed into the cave. 

Igneous immediately sat down and eyed his wound. It had mostly clotted. Senn, however, kept his eyes on the outside. 

“The monster is gone, Senn.” Igneous said breathily. He stood back up and looked outside as well, but he looked towards the sky instead. 

In the sky, the moon flew above the clouds, full and bright. Compelled by some strange force, Igneous stared at the moon. It was as if the very celestial body was beckoning him close. 

Senn tapped Igneous on the shoulder. This prompted a gasp from the Magnorite, who looked over at his companion. 

“Hey look, your wound’s gone.” The Ardoni said with a smile.

Igneous looked down and backed up into the cave. The wound had clotted. He suddenly fell onto his back, absorbed by a sense of calmness. 

Senn gasped, rushing to his side. Igneous chuckled and smiled.

“Sorry!” He couldn’t help but smile as he spoke. “I’m just---I’ve never felt so relieved.”

A sigh escaped Senn. He sat down next to Igneous.

“Can you keep watch for that monster? I’m going to bed.” 

“Okay.” Igneous said, looking at the only thing separating them from the outside.

Senn closed his eyes and laid down. Soon enough, he was asleep.

For the first time in his life, Igneous felt jealous that he didn’t have such a need.

  
  



	3. Chapter Three

It was a week after Igneous ravaged those animals. Igneous was saddened by it at first, but his nature was too strong to overcome. He pushed it to the back of his mind and spoke of it no more.

However, Senn had some input. He told Igneous to lock himself in the inn’s closet when the urges returned. 

The first time they returned, Igneous barely made it into the closet. He cried for a good while until his mind collapsed in on itself.

That’s how Senn found out the door was weak in comparison to Igneous. It would have been ripped off of its hinges if not for Senn shoving a dresser in front. Clawing was the only response, but luckily nothing more came of it.

Igneous had noticed a pattern to it a couple days later. He told Senn of his findings: that the urges only came at nightfall. So, they drew up a plan: Igneous would lock himself up at sunset. Then Senn would cover the door with a dresser.

That sunset, Igneous sat nervously in his isolated room. He waited anxiously for his mind to go again, hating every moment. He cleared his throat, deciding speaking was better than waiting.

“Do you think that monster has something to do with this?” 

Senn stayed silent for a couple minutes, and put one hand over the dresser. “Maybe.”

Igneous didn’t respond. Senn retracted his hand and kept his ears keen. The silence stayed for a little.

“Grrr…” He heard soon enough. Frantic scratches followed not even a second later. Senn leaned back against the dresser, letting out a loud sigh. The scratching stopped, instead replaced by four-footed pacing.

“Can you still hear me?” Senn asked, weakly but loud enough to cut through the wood.

The scratching returned, much more frantic this time. It was the clawing of a hungry animal, not a friend.

=

Igneous lapsed back into consciousness that morning. He groaned, kicking his feet against the door.

“Senn…” He leaned against the door. “Senn!” The Magnorite shouted, rapping on the door frantically. A loud, dragging sound greeted his ears. Then, the door opened and Senn’s baggy eyes were the first thing he saw. Igneous’ eyes went big and oozed lava at the sight.

And then he suddenly noticed he was hungry. Ravenously so. He moaned in pain, laying his head back. The urges started to gnaw at the back of his head, provoking a whimper from him.

He looked back at Senn and waved his hand in the air. Senn tilted his head and approached Igneous. He knelt down.

“Yes?” Senn asked gently.

“Get me some meat, please.” Igneous groaned out his words. With one hand he clutched his stomach and with the other he held himself up. He forced a gentle smile as he grabbed a couple ingots of gold. Senn held out his hands and Igneous handed him the ingots.

Senn disappeared and came back soon enough with some meat. Igneous snatched the meat, chowing his meal down with incredible ease. He sighed with relief and laid back. 

“Do you want to head into town?” Senn asked. 

Igneous nodded, smiling a little. 

=

It took them a couple minutes to make it into Biggerton’s main street. Senn looked around at the stores and headed off to look more. He looked back at Igneous, as if beckoning him forward. 

“I’m fine, Senn.” He said, smiling. “Go ahead.” 

Igneous watched Senn walk off. He then overheard a conversation. 

“The moon will be full tonight.” 

Igneous felt dread seize his chest. The strange celestial object seemed to be shoving itself into his mind.

“It usually takes a month for it to be full again.” another man responded. 

“Yes but, it’s one of those special moons.” Igneous turned and looked at the man. He looked scruffy, stressed. An impulse screamed from within, his gut telling him that this man was dangerous. “One that defies the months.” Igneous turned around, looking away. 

Suddenly, his vision flickered and Senn was in front of him. Senn lay limp on the ground, gored, covered in claw marks and his own blood. Nausea rose in his chest, and he vomited, blood and lava escaped his mouth. Shivers and spasms wracked his body and then his vision phased out.

When his vision returned, he was surrounded by foliage and blood. He looked down at his hands and noticed the blood was covering him. He looked behind him and saw a deer ripped apart and devoured. Igneous gulped, his stomach lurching forward as if it was going to void itself again. 

“Senn!” He cried out. His knees buckled. 

“Igneous?”

No, it couldn’t be! Senn was dead, gone! Probably killed by him in a lapse of animalistic rage! How could he-

Senn approached Igneous, his face painted with concern. Igneous backed up, whimpering. 

“Are you alright?” Senn asked, trying to reassure his friend.

Igneous groaned, exhaling heavily. “I saw you dead…”

Senn rubbed Igneous on the back. “I’m okay, look at me, Igneous.” Igneous sniffled, lava running down his cheeks.

“I’m so scared...Senn. What’s happening to me?” He asked, curling his arms around his legs. He gulped in heavy gasps of air.

“Maybe we should go to a doctor.” Senn said gently. Igneous shook his head.

“They won’t know what’s wrong with me.” Igneous said, suddenly sobbing. “I’m so scared, please… Help me.” He looked as if he would crawl onto the ground and beg, as if Senn was some magical being capable of fixing every problem.

“I…” Senn exhaled heavily.

Igneous cried more.

“I don’t think I can.” 

Igneous sobbed loudly, his throat spasming. Senn approached Igneous, knelt down and hugged him tightly. Igneous covered his eyes, preventing his dangerous tears from harming his only friend.

Senn rubbed Igneous on the back. “Come on, you need some rest.”

Igneous silently agreed.

=

Igneous sniffled softly under the blanket. He knew night was coming. How could he let this go on? How dare he decide this was alright, that it was normal. 

The hunger returned.

“Haff….Nghhh...No…” He groaned, standing up. His legs buckled under his weight and he sobbed slightly.

“Do you need the closet?” Senn asked, opening the door. Igneous clutched the sides of his head. “It’s okay, buddy.” 

Igneous roared, his eyes widening in rage. Senn approached him, trying to hush him. Igneous threw Senn backwards and he screamed. 

Igneous hissed, arching his back and throwing the door open. He escaped into the woods. 

Senn shouted from behind him. 

Igneous stared at the moon. It was full, fat, glowing.

And then everything exploded. 

  
  



End file.
